Fatal Trucking Accidents

Tracy Morgan Settles with Wal-Mart Regarding Last Year’s Truck Accident

June 4, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In June of last year, a Wal-Mart truck allegedly failed to slow down for an approaching construction project, rear-ending the limousine that Tracy Morgan and his entourage were occupying. A fellow comedian, and one of Mr. Morgan’s good friends, James McNair, was killed in the accident. Tracy Morgan was seriously injured, suffering a broken leg, broken ribs, and a broken nose.

According to one news source, Wal-Mart and Mr. Morgan reached an agreed-upon settlement for the case earlier this month. The details of the settlement agreement have not been made public, likely as a condition of the agreement. However, Mr. Morgan told reporters that “Wal-Mart did right by me and my family, and for my associates and their families. I am grateful that the case was resolved amicably.”

The allegations in the case were serious. There was evidence that the truck was traveling at around 20 miles per hour over the speed limit at the time of the accident. Additionally, the driver of the truck was allegedly near his drive-time limit and had not slept for the past 24 hours.

Queen Anne Semi-Truck Accident Claims Three Lives

May 8, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Queen Anne, Maryland, a three-truck accident resulted in three fatalities when one of the trucks inexplicably crossed the center line. According to one local news report, the accident occurred on Maryland Route 404 in the morning hours.

Evidently, the semi-truck, which was being driven by a man from Tennessee, crossed over into oncoming traffic and side-swiped another semi-truck. After the initial collision, the truck continued on and then collided head-on with a third truck. The driver of the first truck was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The driver of the second truck, which was struck from the side, caught fire upon impact. Both the driver and the passenger inside died as a result of the injuries they sustained in the accident. The driver of the third semi-truck was not injured. Police are currently conducting an investigation into the accident.

Maryland Student Killed in Rear-End Truck Accident

April 8, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

At the end of last month, a 15-year-old 10th-grader was killed after her mother’s car was rear-ended by a truck on a Maryland road. According to a local news report, the teenager was a passenger in her mother’s Toyota Camry. Evidently, her mother was traveling north on Route 413 when she stopped to make a left turn. As she was making the left into a driveway, a 2006 Freightliner commercial vehicle rear-ended her. The truck was registered to a home delivery company. An initial investigation revealed that the truck did not stop when it should have and subsequently rear-ended the Toyota, which then went on to hit a Dodge traveling in the opposite direction.

The young girl was taken to a Salisbury, Maryland hospital and was tragically pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Her mother is still in critical condition. The driver of the Dodge was treated at a hospital but was released because her injuries were not life-threatening. The driver and passenger in the truck were also released and did not seem to suffer any serious injury as well.

A preliminary investigation did not find alcohol to be a contributing factor to the accident. The State’s Attorney’s office is still awaiting the rest of the findings from the investigation to determine whether they will be pressing charges.

Maryland Truck Driver Facing Criminal Charges for 2013 Fatal Accident

February 25, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Maryland truck driver is scheduled to plead guilty to several charges stemming from the fatal 2013 accident that took three Fredericksburg residents’ lives. According to one local news report, the court had scheduled a four-day trial to determine whether the truck driver was criminally responsible for the deaths of the three individuals, but the man’s attorney notified the court that he will likely plead guilty instead.

Evidently, back in 2013, the truck driver rear-ended a Toyota Camry on State Route 3. The accident occurred as the Toyota was stopped at a red traffic signal. The accident involved 10 vehicles total, after the Camry and the truck spun out and collided with other nearby cars and trucks.

The Toyota had five passengers in it. The three in the back seat were killed immediately as a result of the high-impact collision, while the front seat passenger and the driver were both hospitalized. Thankfully, they both pulled through after being provided emergency medical care.

Woman Loses Control of Vehicle, Crashes into Dump Truck

February 4, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Jarretsville, Maryland, a woman was killed after she lost control of her vehicle and crashed into an oncoming dump truck. According to a news report by the Baltimore Sun, the accident occurred while the woman was traveling westbound on 439 and took place near the intersection of Route 23. At the time, the roads were wet and partially covered in snow.

Evidently, shortly after 11 in the morning, the woman’s Honda Civic crossed the center median after she briefly lost control of the vehicle. As she entered the lanes of oncoming traffic, she was struck by a large Mack dump truck head-on. By the time emergency responders arrived at the scene, the woman had died. The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police are still conducting an investigation into how the fatal truck accident occurred. A preliminary investigation indicates that poor road conditions due to the inclement weather were at least partially responsible.

Tractor-Trailer Accident Claims Four Lives Near Wye Mills

January 27, 2015 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month near Wye Mills, an accident between a 2006 Suzuki Forenza and a tractor-trailer resulted in four fatalities in the same family, including a pregnant woman. According to a report by one local news source, the accident occurred on Route 50 in Queen Anne’s County around 1:15 in the morning.

The wreckage was so bad that police do not know exactly what happened. However, it seems that the family was in the Suzuki heading westbound on Route 50. As they approached the intersection with Route 213, the semi-truck, which was traveling southbound on Route 213, struck the side of the family’s vehicle. Both vehicles traveled across the intersection before the semi-truck overturned on top of the Suzuki.

Tragically, all five of the occupants in the Suzuki died of injuries they sustained in the accident. Four of the passengers were pronounced dead at the scene. A 30-year-old pregnant woman was transported to Easton Memorial Hospital, where both the woman and her unborn child were pronounced dead by hospital staff.

Trucker Killed When He Crashes into Disabled Dump Truck

November 26, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in a fatal accident out of Prince William County, Virginia, a truck driver lost his life when he crashed into a disabled dump truck on Interstate 95. According to a report by a local CBS affiliate, the dump truck was stalled in the middle northbound lane of I-95 around mile marker 195.

Evidently, the dump truck driver notified authorities as soon as his vehicle became disabled. However, before authorities could get to the scene, the semi-truck driver crashed into the back of the dump truck. It was only a matter of minutes after the truck was disabled that it was hit.

After the accident, the driver of the dump truck was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. However, the driver of the semi-truck was killed in the accident and pronounced dead at the scene. Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident.

Truck Driver Dies in Hagerstown I-81 Crash

October 24, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In a tragic accident earlier this week in West Hagerstown, one man lost his life in a semi-truck accident when the truck he was driving drifted off the right side of the road, struck a guardrail, and then ran into a bridge support beam. According to one local news report, the truck was carrying recyclables and was heading northbound on Interstate 81 when the fatal accident occurred.

Evidently, when the truck crashed into the beam, it exploded. Investigators believe that a saddle fuel ruptured on impact and that was the cause of the explosion. The driver of the truck was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Thankfully, no other cars or trucks were involved in the accident, and the truck driver was the only person injured.

One witness to the accident told reporters that she was about 13 car lengths back at the time of the collision, and that initially she didn’t think that it was a very serious accident. It wasn’t until the loud “boom” that she realized the seriousness of the accident. Engineers were called in to assess the structural integrity of the bridge after the explosion. It is not yet clear what the situation is regarding the bridge’s stability.

Fatal Truck Accidents on the Rise Across the Country

August 26, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Fatal truck accidents have steadily been increasing since 2006, a recent article by NBC News reports. The article claims that as the US economy has gotten better, more and more goods are being shipped across the country via trucks. When there are more trucks on the road, there are bound to be more trucking accidents.

According to the NBC News article, there are 11 fatal truck accidents each day across the country, killing roughly 4,000 people annually. On top of the fatal trucking accidents, over 100,000 people are injured each year in serious truck accidents.

The article also points out that, surprisingly, there has not been a national outcry to increase the restrictions, regulations, and laws governing interstate truckers. Normally, when a certain type of accident becomes more common, people react by trying to stop the cause of the accident. However, even the very public accident that injured actor and comedian Tracy Morgan and killed one other person only resulted in minimal effort to change the laws surrounding truck drivers.

Truck Accident in Frederick County Kills One Motorcyclist

August 19, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week in Frederick County, one motorcyclist lost his life when he ran into a truck that turned in front of him. According to a report by a local news source, the fatal truck accident occurred shortly after 5 a.m. on southbound Route 15 at North Franklinville Road in Thurmont.

Evidently, a trash truck was heading from North Franklinville Road across the southbound lanes of Route 15 when he cut off the motorcyclist. The biker had no time to react and ran into the rear driver’s side of the truck. Minutes after the accident, the motorcyclist was pronounced dead by emergency responders.

Police believe that neither speed nor alcohol was involved in the accident, and the driver of the garbage truck admits that he just didn’t see the motorcyclist coming when he decided to pull out into the road. It is unclear if the driver will face any criminal charges for his involvement in the accident.